A Daily Devotion for Tuesday, November 11
- ontrakk
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Matthew 25:31-40
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
This is such a familiar passage, but again, reading it this morning it seems new. There are so many ways to serve God’s people. We may not run into anyone in the desert in need of water, or someone naked who needs our coat. But we certainly all know people who are lonely, ill or both. We know of organizations which collect clothing and food for the homeless. In our comfortable lives we can feel far removed from suffering, but suffering sometimes lives next door. I can do better.
Holy Lord, open my eyes so that I can see those who may need something which I am able to provide. Soften my heart and increase my courage, I pray. Amen
Becky, transforming
Matthew 25:31-40
Stepping out away from our comfort zone is difficult and usually happens when we are asked and encouraged by someone we admire. Many years ago at another church we were asked to step in for a couple who were leaving. They had organized, shopped for, and cooked a community dinner monthly and served over 100 people. We hesitated but decided that this was an important fundraiser and we would give it a try. It was an enormous amount of work, but good records and great recipes and help from others, we managed well. We did this for several years. We were always so thankful for the many hands that helped the day and evening of each dinne…
Tuesday, November 11th, 2025
STEPPING OUT
(FOCUS: PRISON INDUSTRIES
Matthew 25:36
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
The separation in Matthew 25:36 is interpreted as the final judgment where Jesus divides all nations into two groups: the sheep( the righteous) and the goats( the unrighteous). The separation is based on how individuals responded to the needs of others, particularly those who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, or in prison. Those who cared for them are seen as caring for Christ and will inherit eternal life, while those who did not are condemned to eternal punishment. I strive to be like the sheep…
Matthew 25:32-40
The thought of the day in The Upper Room reading about getting out of my comfort zone reminded me of when I became an elder with the church. I wondered about how effective I would be, especially in dealing with the many people and personalities in our congregation. Through an early interaction with an elderly member at the church I found that I enjoyed interacting with our seniors. Although our seniors many times seemed very happy and without a care, many actually led isolated and lonely lives. Some of my fondest memories of that church was the time I spent in their homes talking about “the good ol’ days”. The outreach program for our seniors turned out to…
Matthew 25:31-40
The focus of this morning’s reflection in The Upper Room was prison ministry. The prison ministry programs in this state are unheralded but do tremendous work. There are Bible studies led at the State Prison. Kairos Ministries does evangelistic outreach in prisons and jails throughout the state and offers programs for families of incarcerated people. Christian Aftercare Ministries offers support of various kinds to those released from prison in the difficult adjustment period on the outside. Harris House in Concord is home to several former inmates who are now brothers in Christ. In two weeks they will be celebrating their second Thanksgiving as a family of faith. A Saturday morning men’s group I attend has several former inmates…